Your Saving Grace
by doodlebags
Summary: this is a reader/self insert character with a female reader you are a single mother, barely keeping alive and barely living. until one night, when you thought it was all over. a man by the name of Karamatsu saves you, in more ways then one.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: a Stanger's Hands

It was 3 am. The street lights were dim and the hustle and bustle of the day died down to a dull roar. Only a few cars drove past, and no pedestrians roamed the sidewalks. Besides you. You wore a white hoodie and jeans, folding your arms over your chest in an attempt to keep warm as you made your way down the sidewalk. You had night shift at the local Grocery Store that night. You took whatever job you could possibly get to feed you and your three year old daughter. You had to take off early, though. Your good-for-nothing babysitter skipped out on you, leaving your child home alone. She claimed to have a 'family emergency'. In an angry rage, you told your boss your daughter has been left alone by your babysitter, and storm out the door without a reply. Your daughter was a first priority. It was too late to catch the bus, and your car was in the shop, so you had to power walk home. It would take you a half hour, but it had to be done.

You were too busy in thought to notice the figure step out behind you. Fallowing you. you were too busy mentally cursing your babysitter and rehearsing your angry speech you were going to give her the next time she shows her face to notice him get closer. You were too busy worrying about your child to react when he pulled you down the nearest alleyway and into the dark.

You tried to scream, but he clamped your mouth shut with his large hand, the other one forcing you against the nearest wall. You tried struggling, but you were weak. You were always too weak…. you looked up with fearful eyes to face your attacker. It was dark, but you could see a large figure pressing up against you, baring his teeth in an evil grin. Was this it? Were you going to die here? You started shedding tears at the thought of this man taking your life. Not because you were afraid to die. No, you didn't fear death. You'd welcome death with open arms if it wasn't for your child. Your child needed you, so you tried to stay strong, no matter how hard it was. You couldn't die here. You couldn't leave her behind like this.

"Aww, sweetheart~ no crying." The man said in a mocking tone. He chuckled deeply as his free hand skimmed down your sides, his eyes fallowing. You tried kicking him, but he was stepping on your toes to keep you still. You couldn't move. He grabbed onto the stomach of your sweater and pulled at it. It seemed to effortlessly tear away, ripping off your body. It left you in your bra, completely uncovered. You gasped and closed your eyes at the sudden exposure to the cold. He chuckled again, This time louder than before. "Really? No shirt underneath? You're makin this too easy, doll~" he ran his large hand over your breasts, squeezing them over the fabric, making you twitch uncomfortably. He pulled your breasts out of your bra, rubbing them and squeezing them harshly.

You tried your best to stay still. Maybe this was it. May he was just looking for a quickie, and he'd let you go. You hated to think that being raped was the best outcome. It was still an awful outcome, and would leave you scared mentally for life, but it was better than death. At least to you. You tried focusing on your daughter. Getting to run and see her when all this was over. Getting to hold her while you cry for the rest of the night. You thought about her warm smile and loving cuddles as the man ripped your pants off. You thought about her telling you about her weird dreams in the morning at breakfast as he pushed his hand past your underwear. You flinched and started to sob as he shoved a finger deep within you, but you tried your hardest to focus on her.

The man let go of your mouth in order to hold your hips, which gave you the opportunity to speak. "Please….. Please stop…." But to no avail. The man just let out another deep laugh as he forced himself onto you.

It was a long night of failure for Karamatsu. He lost so much money at Pachinko and he had barely anything to bring back home to show for it. He never realized it was this late until he glanced at his phone. "Shit…." He muttered, shoving the phone back into his pocket. He picked up his pace, trying to get home as quick as possible. His bothers would be asleep at this time, so he could slip in unnoticed if he was quick enough. He could just make up some sort of excuse for being so damned tired in the morning and-

"Please…. Please stop…." A desperate female voice rung out from the alleyway he had just past, followed by a man's laugh. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes growing wide with fear and shock. He debated on what to do. He couldn't possibly pretend he didn't hear anything. Deciding to investigate, he turned to the alley and peaked inside.

Nothing but dark. Cautiously, he crept his way into the alleyway, squinting his eyes in the dim light to try and focus on the pair of figures that appeared before him. No doubt about it. Before him was you, pinned half naked to the wall with your attacker assaulting your under region. Rage engulfed inside of him. The sight of a helpless woman in peril always made him this way, but this time, he could actually do something about it.

Before the man's mouth could come in contact with your nipple, he was punched at full force in the head, knocking him back and making him drop you. You took this opportunity to curl into a ball far away from Kara and the man. Karamatsu lunged forward, not letting the man register what just happened before he knocked him in the head a second time. This time, though, the man's head hit on the ground, knocking him unconscious.

After kicking the man in the stomach, Karamatsu turned to you. You were curled in a ball, sobbing in your hands. Karamatsu looked to you with a worried expression and slowly approached you. "…..ma'am….?"

You lifted your head up slowly to meet his gaze in the dim alley. He frowned, not finding any other words, so he looked around for your cloths. He found them, but since they were torn up, they wouldn't do much for you, so he decided to give you his cloths. Swiftly, he stared to take off his signature blue sweatshirt, making you flinch and gasp. He stopped once he realized what this might imply. "n-no, I um…. You look cold, and…your cloths are….unwearable…..so I was going to give you mine, instead."

You hesitated before nodding, giving him permission to give you his cloths. With that, he took off his sweatshirt and pants and gave them to you. He was now in his boxers and tank top that he wore under his shirt. To give you some privacy, he turned around as you changed. He took this opportunity to call the cops, telling them what happened and where you two were. Once the call was over, he took a seat next to you on the ground to wait.

It was quiet. You sat curled up, staring at the wall in front of you. You didn't know why this man was still here, nor why he helped you. Although, if it wasn't for him….this stranger….this man you never met…..you would be in hell right now. You couldn't even think about what would have happened if he didn't intervene. "…thank you….." you muttered, your voice a little horse from sobbing.

He looked at you with a cautious smile and laid a hand on your shoulder gingerly. "Don't thank me…." The alley grew quiet once again. You both just stared off as you waited for the police to come.

You decided to speak up. It was going to be a little while longer, so might as well try to keep your mind occupied by idle conversation. "…I'm (Y/N)….."

Karamatsu looked in your direction, searching your face for a moment before he spoke up as well. "I'm Karamatsu. …I wish…..we could have met on better circumstances…." He frowned, looking up to the small bit of sky visible above the two of you.

You joined him, looking up to the stars. You couldn't see many, but they were there. and they were bright and beautiful. "…..yeah….." is all you could muster up. What were you supposed to say? Of course you would have rather been in any other situation than this one. You would have rather meet him in the line for your funeral arrangements then meet like this. Any other situation was better than this.

Your thought was broke again by the man. "…..if….you don't mind me asking, um….. What were you doing out so late…..?"

You sighed, looking away from the sky. "…..my daughter….. I….I have a three year old daughter at home. She was…..supposed to be with my babysitter while I worked the night shift…..but she called and said she had to leave…..so my daughter is…..home alone right now…." You clutched your chest, closing your eyes tightly. You had to go. You couldn't stay here, waiting for the cops while your daughter was alone.

"Oh, you….have a daughter?"

You didn't answer him. You just nodded and stood up. "I need to go…. I need to go home."

Karamatsu looked at you worriedly, but he didn't protest. He just nodded understandably.

You didn't realize it, but your attacker was stirring.

You stood at the entrance to the ally and turned to face Karamatsu. You were about to say goodbye and a final thank you, when the man lunged from the ground, wielding a knife, and stabbed you in the stomach.

Everything slowed down. The world went blurry. Sounds became distant. As you fell to the ground, you saw Karamatsu stand up. You heard him shout your name. You heard distant sirens as you saw your attacker flee the scene. You hit the ground. Karamatsu rushed to your side and flipped you over on your back. You looked up to him, your vision blurring even more. You could barely hear as he screamed for you to stay with him and to not give up. You felt him press on your wound in attempt to keep you alive. Before your vision went dark, you hear the sirens stop outside of the alley. That was the last thing you heard before all of your senses became engulfed in darkness.


	2. Chapter 2 In the Darkness part 1

Chapter 2: In the Darkness part 1

Part 1: your POV

" _Please…."_

Your vision was dark. You couldn't even see your hands in front of your face. Did you even have hands anymore? You looked around, searching for any light, any sign of life, anything at all. There was nothing. The sound of faraway voices and noises could be heard, but it sounded like you were 50 feet under water.

" _Wake up…"_

You fallowed the voices, but it seemed like you could never get closer to them no matter how much you walked. Were you even walking? Were you moving at all? Did you even have legs? It didn't feel like it. It didn't feel like anything. It felt numb and oddly peaceful. You closed your eyes even though you couldn't tell what closed or opened was anymore, and allowed the darkness to surround you. It didn't seem like you were going anywhere anytime soon.

You listened to the distant and muffled sounds. You could hear several voices and the sound of rustling and metal clanking. You could faintly feel hands on your body, hoisting you up and gently placing you on something. You could feel the sweater Karamatsu let you barrow being cut off of you. You felt pressure on your wounds, but it didn't hurt. It still felt numb. Everything was numb. The sounds of sirens rang out once again. You figured you were in the ambulance, being taken to the hospital.

After that, it went silent. Every once in a while, you'd hear unfamiliar voices talking to you, as if you could talk back. You figured these were the doctors and nurses. You felt like crying when you heard your little girl. She was okay… she called out to you, but you couldn't answer her. That was the first and last time you heard her, though. She didn't come back. The only voices now were the unfamiliar ones. Those of the doctors and nurses. That was, except for one voice that stood out the whole time you were in the darkness. Karamatsu. He must have visited you every single day. This made you happy. This man, someone you didn't even know, someone who selflessly saved your life, continued to visit you every day. You cursed under your breath every time he spoke. He was so quiet. You could barely make out what he was saying.

" _I'm here…"_

" _Don't worry…."_

" _Please wake up soon…."_

" _I'm sorry…"_

Those were the only words you could make out. Why was he sorry? For not knowing the man had a knife? For not jumping in the way and taking the hit? There was no reason to apologize. He risked his life for you. He stayed with you. He gave you his literal cloths off his back. If anything, you should apologize for ruining his sweatshirt.

You felt a hand grab yours. It was cold and soft. It gripped yours shakily, rubbing its thumb on your palm. You were sure it was Karamatsu's. His voice was the only one you could hear. You heard him speak, too low to comprehend. The words were shaky. The words trembled off into sobs, and you felt a weight on your chest. You felt soft hair on your neck. He was crying over you? Why was he crying? Did he blame himself for what happened? Was his guilt that bad? You felt sorry for him. You wished you could tell him it wasn't his fault. You wished you could hug him and reassure him it was okay. You had no idea if you would ever get that chance. Fear struck you as you realized you may never wake up. You must have shed a tear, because you felt the cold, soft hand rub something wet off your cheek then mutter something with a soft chuckle. that was it. He let go of your hand and left for the day.

The next day was different. You heard him, but you also hear 5 other voices, too.

" _These are my brothers"_

The five other voices spoke up, introducing themselves one by one. You could barely make out what they were saying, except for one that spoke a little louder than the others.

" _Matsuno Jyushimatsu….!"_

You heard the others shush him and you let out a small chuckle. It was funny, because he was the only one you could hear! How did they expect you to hear them if they whispered? You made a note to mention that. That is…if you ever woke up. You pushed those thoughts away and instead, focused on listening as best as you can. The hand came back to hold yours and you smiled. You must have smiled in reality, too, because one of the brothers' voices spoke up.

"… _.she's smiling…."_

After this, you heard sniffling coming from the body that the hand was attached to. Then you heard Karamatsu, talking lowly. The five others were quiet.

Just then, a light blinded you within the darkness.

"… _..I should have told her to wait…."_

Karamatsu's voice rang out, clearer and louder than before, coming from the light's direction. You walked cautiously toward it.

"… _..I should have checked him for weapons…."_

The voice became louder, the closer you got. You started running.

"… _I should have killed him when I had the chance…."_

You could faintly see blurry movement in the white light. You could make out very blurry figures. You sprinted as fast as you could.

"… _..I can never forgive myself….."_

You reached out to touch the light. Soon, your whole vision changed from black to white. You gasped as your eyes opened.

Above you stood five identical boys, shock on their faces. Next to you sat Karamatsu, holding your hand tightly, tears running down his cheeks.

You smiled.

You were back.


	3. Chapter 3 In the Darkness part 2

Part 2: Matsuno's POV

Karamatsu fell to your side, catching you before you hit the ground. In a panic, he placed your head in his lap and leaned over your body, pressing against your wound gently in attempt to stop the bleeding. It was getting him nowhere. His hands quickly became covered in your blood. He shook violently. "Please….. Wake up…." He said in a soft voice, still pressing against your wound even though it served no purpose at this point.

Two police cars and an ambulance stopped outside of the ally. Immediately, officers and EMTs rushed out of their respective vehicles. The officers, along with one EMT, rushed to you and Karamatsu. The EMT took your body from Kara, who reluctantly let go of your wound and leaned back against the wall. He stared at his blood soaked hands in a state of utter shock. He was still shaking quite a bit. The officer knelt down next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Kid, I know this is all a bit too much for you to handle, I get it, but I'm gonna need you to try to pull it together and tell me what happened. Now, from what you told us, you knocked the suspect out and the woman was okay, for the most part. What happened between then and now?"

Karamatsu diverted his gaze from his hands to you. The EMTs were loading you up on the Gurney. One of them started cutting away at his once favorite sweater in attempts to get to your wound the fastest way possible. The fact that his favorite sweater was now trashed didn't faze him, though. He was just worried, and a little guilty. He just mindlessly watched as they scrambled over your bare stomach, trying desperately to patch you up. "….we were waiting for you to get here…. I asked her why she was out this late…..and she mentioned her daughter was left alone at home, so she had to rush home to get her…. Then she said she had to go, and started to leave…. That's when he woke up and lunged at her. I couldn't stop him fast enough…. He just…..stabbed her and ran away…."

"He ran away? Which way did he go?" Karamatsu pointed down the street and the officer nodded, standing up. "We'll go that way. See if we spot anyone suspicious." He looked down to Kara, who was still staring off at the ambulance. They packed the back up and rushed off in the direction of the hospital. "Would you like a lift home?"

Kara shook his head slowly, standing up. He almost lost his balance, but quickly gained it back. "n-no…. my….my house isn't too far from here…." The officer reluctantly nodded, patting Kara on the shoulder.

"Alright, kid…. I'll make sure all the officers know that, if they get a call about a boy in his boxers covered in blood, to not worry about it." He smiled a little at Kara and Kara forced out a small laugh, although he really didn't feel like laughing right now. He turned around to make his way down the street and back home.

It was now 4:30 am by the time he got back home. He was exhausted, cold, covered in dried blood, and still shaken up and worried. Why was he so worried? He quietly entered the house and snuck his way to the bathroom to clean up. Looking in the mirror, he saw the damage dealt. His hair was a mess, some blood caked in the strands, his hands were obviously caked in blood, as well, and his shirt had smudges on it, too. His eyes were blood shot, both from crying and from exhaustion. He sighed deeply at is messy appearance, then proceeded to strip naked. He proceeded to wash himself at the sink, being sure to get all the blood off. He took his sweet time with it, too allowing the hot water to wash over him, watching the red run down the drain. He allowed himself to cry, and cry he did. This was all too much for him. He was only on his way home from a late night of gambling. How did it come to this? Anyone would have a few mental breakdowns after something like that.

After about 20 more minutes, he figured he was clean enough, and got dressed. He was finally able to sleep. But sleep never came. He laid awake in bed all night, dozing off every once in a while, but as soon as he got close to passing out, that scene played over in his head and startled him awake. It seemed like morning would never come.

Around 8 am, he was finally able to pass out. This was around the time his brothers usually started to wake up to start their day, though, so staying asleep amongst the hustle and bustle of the morning was hard. He was about to drift off when he was firmly kicked in the stomach. He let out a gag and rolled over on his stomach, holding the spot where he was kicked.

Hovering over him was Ichimatsu. He didn't seem amused. "oui! Shittymatsu! Get up!"

"Come on, Karamatsu, we have to put the futon away!" Osomatsu exclaimed, just as unamused. Karamatsu wasn't feeling up for this. Usually, he was able to take his brothers' abuse very well, but today was not one of those days. Kara groaned in pain from the kick and pain from the all-nighter he was forced to pull. He reluctantly stood up, forcing a fake grin.

"I'm up, my brothers~! Be patient. I had a long night." Kara said, trying his hardest to hide his sleepiness and genuinely unhappiness. He made his way to the closet that they all shared, sighing as he searched for some clothes.

Choromatsu scoffed at Kara, watching him make his way to the door. "You stayed up all night playing Pachinko, didn't you?" Kara just shrugged at him, leaving the room to head to the bathroom. He wanted to get out of there as fast as he could. He had plans to visit you at the hospital to see how you're doing. He was scared that he would be told that you passed away. That's all he worried about. He had to know you were okay. He had to apologize for not being able to stop the attack.

Meanwhile, the others headed to breakfast. They sat at the table while their parents sat in the room next to theirs at their table. Everything was quiet, aside from the usually 'pass me this' that you usually hear at a meal. About halfway through breakfast, Karamatsu came from around the corner. His eyes were still really sleepy, but he played it off with his usual cheesy grin. However, he was wearing a nice looking outfit. Some black pants, a white shirt and a black blazer that was unbuttoned like a jacket. The others looked at him questionably. "What the hell are you wearing, Karamatsu?" Ichimatsu spoke up in his usual annoyed voice.

Karamatsu shrugged and grinned. "Felt like looking my best today."

"I'm surprised you're not wearing your painful, sparkly pants." Todomatsu chimed in. he wasn't even looking, though. He was too busy on his phone to care.

"No, not today, I'm afraid." He sighed lightly, heading for the door. "I'm heading out. Don't know when I'll be back. Try not to miss me too much."

No one really cared. They just continued eating. However, Matsuyo, his mother, overheard and stood up quickly. "Karamatsu, you're not eating breakfast?"

Hearing his mother's concerned voice, Kara turned around and gave her a reassuring smile. "No, mother. But, don't worry. I will grab something while I'm out." He nodded to her and she sighed and nodded back.

"Alright, if you insist." She sat back down across from her husband to continue eating, and out Kara went.

"I wonder where he's going." Choromatsu questioned, leaning back on his arms.

Osomatsu shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "Probably going to relentlessly flirt with girls. Who knows and who cares."

"Maybe he's going on a date!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed, waving his arms above his head. They all looked at him, thinking on that possibility. He was wearing nice clothes, and he **did** come back home late last night. After thinking, they all shook their head. "nah." They said in unison.

"There's no **way** that painful ass is going on a date." Ichimatsu grunted, taking a bite of his food.

"Yeah, I mean….especially before **me**. Who would choose him over **me**?" Todomatsu scoffed.

"Yeah." Oso chuckled, leaning back. "If he was going on a date, it'd most likely be one of those rentable girlfriends!" everyone chuckled at Osomatsu's comment. After that, they continued to eat, talking about what they plan to do today.

About an hour later, Karamatsu finally staggered into the hospital. He was exhausted, but he finally made it. Maybe he'd take a small nap on the chair in your room, if that was alright with you. He hoped you were there…. He hoped he wasn't too late.

He nervously made his way to the sign in counter. "Um…excuse me, uh…. I'm here to see (y/n)?"

The secretary started tapping away at the computer in front of her, and the more time she searched, the more nervous Karamatsu got. Finally, she spoke up with a smile. "Second floor, room 200." Thank **god**. You were alive, at least. Kara nodded and thanked her, then walked quickly toward the elevator.

Once at your room, a doctor stopped him. "Sorry, sir. You will have to wait. Ms. (y/n)'s daughter requested to be alone with her.

Karamatsu nodded understandably. He glanced into the window as he walked past, seeing that you were sleeping. A little girl sat next to you, talking to you, as if you could talk back. This made him smile, but it also made his heart sink. "Is…..is she sleeping, or….."

The doctor sighed. "Technically, yes….but she hasn't woken up since she passed out last night. Right now, she is in a temporary rest….which could potentially become a permanent rest….but we are trying our hardest to keep that from happening."

Hearing this sunk Karamatsu deeply. He tried to think positive, though. She was there. She was alive, for the most part, and she could still wake up. He sat down at the close-by waiting area to wait his turn. The only other person there was a very angry and impatient looking man. The man looked over to him, looking him up and down before speaking. "What, are you her new boyfriend or somethin'?"

Kara looked at the man in confusion, but shook his head. "No, I'm…..I'm the one who found her….last night." He didn't give details of **how** he found you, or when. He didn't even know who this person was.

The man scoffed, crossing his arms. "She's a lucky bitch, that's for sure."

Kara's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't like this guy's tone at all. "Who are you, then?" he tried keeping his tone down, not wanting to start a fight. The last thing he wanted was to get kicked out.

The guy let out a hearty laugh. "Shit, she didn't even mention me, huh? That's just like that whore…." He sighed. "I'm her ex-husband. (y/d/n)'s dad. She was dropped off to me by some cop after (y/n) was rushed to the hospital. Didn't give me any details, other than she was raped on her way home and stabbed." He chuckled slightly, which made Karamatsu clench his fist. How was that funny? This man's a huge prick. "She better not die, I'm not taking care of that brat forever."

Karamatsu just about had enough from this man. If he didn't get out of there fast, he'd surely beat the guy's ass. Instead, he gave the excuse that he has to pee, and headed back to stand at the door. He thought for a moment as he watched the sweet little girl talk to her slumbering mother. Stopping a doctor, he asked for a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote something down. Just then, the door opened and out came the little girl. She looked to Karamatsu, who knelt down to her level. "Hey, (y/d/n)….. I'm a friend of your mother. How are you doing?"

The little girl smiled widely at Kara. "I'm ok! Momma's sleeping…..but the doctor said she can still hear me, so I told her about my day!"

Kara nodded in response and glanced back to the waiting area. "Listen….. You be careful around your dad, okay….? And if….anything happens and you need help, call me." He handed her the folded up piece of paper, giving her a reassuring smile. "Don't let your dad find this, okay?" she nodded, taking the paper and placing it into her pocket. Kara patted her on the head, then stood back up. "Take care, (y/d/n)." and with that, she hobbled off to where her shit of a dad was.

Kara let out a deep sigh, hesitantly heading into the room. It was quiet. The only sounds were the beeping of the heart monitor, and your breathing machine, which was hooked up to you via a face mask that covered your mouth and nose. You were in nothing but a hospital gown. Your legs were covered by a small blanket, but that was it. Kara walked around your bed to the right side and sat in the chair next to you. He sat there for a moment in silence, just staring at you. He thought of what (y/d/n) said, that you could still hear, so he decided to speak softly. "Hey, (y/n)…. It's me…..I'm here…." He sighed, looking down. "Don't worry about your daughter….. She may be staying with….an utter asshole…but I guarantee she will be safe….. I will make sure of it….." he nodded. It went silent again. He just sat there, staring at you, looking around the room, doing anything but talking. Then, he let out a quivered sigh. "I'm sorry…. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him in time…. I should have stopped him….." his breath hitched in his throat, trying to stop tears from falling. "…..please wake up soon…." he sat back in his chair, staring at you. He curled up, but still stared at you. Then, he finally drifted to sleep.

A few hours later, a doctor came into the room, lightly shaking Kara. "Mr. Matsuno…. Mr. Matsuno, wake up." Kara woke with a start, whipping the drool from his chin. "Sorry, sir. Visiting hours are over. You can come back in the morning, if you'd like." Kara just simply nodded and thanked the nurse. Then, with a goodbye to you, headed out the door and back home.

The other boys were hanging out in the living space. Ichi was playing with his cat, Jyushi was practicing swings with his bat, Choro was reading a manga, Todo was on his laptop and Oso was staring off into space. A typical boring evening for the Matsunos. When Karamatsu came through the door, no one even glanced up. Although, when they heard sniffles coming from his direction, they all looked his way. "The hell is wrong with you?" Ichi exclaimed.

Kara, with puffy eyes and a sniffle, tried to play it off. He just grinned and fixed his hair. "Ah, nothing, don't worry~ just, uh….allergies." he nodded. His brothers weren't buying it, but they didn't push on. They just allowed Kara to walk past them, and into their bedroom. This behavior was suspicious.

It was quiet for a while before Osomatsu chimed in. "okay, there's definitely something going on."

"Maybe…..maybe he **was** going on a date, but his date stood him up?" chore chimed in, putting down his book.

Todo nodded. "Yeah, I can see a nice girl agreeing to go on a date with him, then just not showing."

"Karamatsu's not good with girls!" Jyushimatsu said as he continued to swing his bat. The other four shook their head in unison, then went back to what they were doing.

The next morning went a little different. Karamatsu got up much before the other five, and ate his breakfast without them. Matsuyo didn't question it, though. She usually let the boys do whatever, since they were adults, but that doesn't mean she wasn't worried about her second oldest son. She watched as he ate quickly. The other five seemed to not care that Karamatsu ate without them. They just grabbed their food and sat down to eat. A few minutes after the others sat down, Kara finished. "I'm out again…. I'll…..be back the same time as last night." He wasn't his normal grinning, positive self this morning. He looked drained and tired, even though he got more than enough sleep last night. He headed out without a word from the others.

Oso looked up from his bowl as the door slid closed. "Is he going back out to wait for the girl again? Pathetic…."

Matsuyo stood up and walked to their table, slamming a hand on the surface, making the five jump off of the floor and onto their feet. "Boys! There's something wrong with your brother, and I'm getting worried! Now I don't care where he goes, you fallow him and find out what's going on!" the boys gulp in fear, bowing their heads to the ground. "Yes mother!" they all exclaimed at once, then headed out the door quickly.

They stealthily fallowed their brother down the street. For the most part, he walked slowly, but he did stop at a small flower stand. He talked with the old lady at the stand, but the brothers couldn't really hear what they were saying.

"He's **buying flowers**?" Choro whispered as they hid behind a bush.

"Is he planning to win the girl back or something?" Oso replied.

"Man, the poor idiot…." Todo sighed.

"Ah, n-no, ma'am, she's not my girlfriend…." Kara blushed heavily, scratching the back of his head. "In…..fact, I hardly know her….. It's….a long story, but I kind of saved her from danger….. Although she….ended up in the hospital, anyway."

The old lady gasped. "Oh my! Well, I am sure you did your best to help her!" she gave Kara a smile as she started to sort a bundle of flowers for him. "I can tell that you like her, though~ is she cute?"

The blush spread all the way across his face. "Ah….w-well, like….I said, I barely know her, s-so…."

"You don't need to know someone to think they're cute." She grinned at Kara, handing him the flowers. "Besides, if you hardly know her, why are you going through all this effort to visit her and bring her flowers?"

Kara sighed, taking the flowers. Looking at them with a sad expression, he said, "…because I owe her….for not being able to completely stop the attack…"

The woman nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure she'll forgive you…." Kara waved to her and walked off. "Good luck!" she shouted, waving at him. And with that, the stealthy brothers fallowed.

About 20 minutes later, the stalkers started to feel exhausted from the walk. "Where the hell is he **going**!?" Osomatsu whined.

"I feel like we've been walking for hours…." Choro said in deep breaths.

Jyushimatsu was the only one not struggling, marching slightly ahead of them, and quietly saying 'hustle hustle' over and over again.

Finally, Kara turned into the hospital, and the five stopped, staring in confusion. "…the….hospital?" Todo questioned. They looked to each other. "Do we know anyone in the hospital?" the other four shook their heads and Todo sighed. "Whelp….. One of us has to fallow him!" they played 'not it', and Ichimatsu lost. He groaned.

"Dammit! Fine, I'll be back…" reluctantly, he fallowed Kara into the hospital. Once Kara entered your room, he sneakily peaked into the window. There, he saw Karamatsu place the flowers in a vase on your end table and sit next to you. Just staring at you. He grew more and more confused as time passed. Kara spoke to you a little, but for the most part, he just….stared. He shed a few tears every once in a while, but that was about it. After five minutes, Ichi had enough and left the hospital.

Outside of the hospital, the other four were sitting on the curb, resting from their exhausting walk. They looked in his direction when Ichi came out. "So? Who is it?" Oso asked, standing up.

Ichi shrugged. "Dunno."

"you….'dunno'? What you mean 'dunno'?"

"I mean I don't know her." Ichi said in annoyance. "She's just some random girl. Seemed to be sleeping, and Karamatsu seems to be upset about it or something." He shrugged again and started to walk. The others fallowed.

"Huh. A random girl we don't know? I wonder who she is." Choro said in thought.

"Maybe Karamastu has a secret girlfriend who got hurt!" Jyushi exclaimed, starting to jog again.

Ichi shook his head. "nah. She's too pretty for him."

"Well, what does she look like?" Todo inquired.

(This is where Ichi describes what your character looks like. Go nutts. …..but not too nutts. Let's try to keep it logical. Don't like….give your character huge batt wings or whatever. For example, this is how I would have Ichi describe my character. "She's pretty thin with nice sized breasts. She also has long, light blonde hair. Very short, too." ….anyhow) the others listened to ichi's description of you, nodding when he was finished. "Huh. She does sound pretty…. I've never seen a girl with that description around him. Have you guys?" the others shook their heads. No one seemed to understand what was going on. They decided to take the train home to save their energy. It was much more pleasant than the long walk. Once home, they found their mother and told her what Ichi saw. She looked at them with a confused expression.

"A girl? In the hospital? And you have no idea who she is?"

Ichi shook his head. "Nope. No idea."

She thought a moment. "Hm…. If he goes back tomorrow, fallow him again. Maybe ask a doctor who's staying in that room? After that, I want you five to confront him about her. Try to get him to tell you what's going on."

"Yes, mother!" they all said, then excused themselves to go do whatever it was they had planned for that day.

The evening went the same as the last evening. Kara came home in a not so great mood, but tried to play it off like it was fine. This time, though, he let his true feelings through even more. He didn't seem to care to hide them too much. He barely talked during dinner. Just ate in silence as he stared off into space.

The net morning was a little different. Kara ended up sleeping in until ten, and upon Matsuyo's request, the five let him sleep in. when Kara got up to head out for the day, he looked a mess. He was even more exhausted. his eyes were shot, his hair was just as messy as Ichi's, and he didn't even bother to dress nicely this time. He didn't speak as he left. He just went. The others fallowed him again, and this time, they all went in together. They watched through the small window as Kara sat there, holding your hand and talking to you.

Kara rubbed his thumb against your palm gently as his shaky hand took yours. "….(y/n)… I'm so sorry….." his breath hitched in his throat, but he was unable to stop the tears. "….I tried…. I tried to save you…. I should have kept an eye on him, I should-"he gasped lightly as he began to sob. He didn't try to stop it. He just let it out. He laid his head gently onto your chest, wetting your hospital gown with his tears.

The brothers left after that. They saw enough. They got your name from the doctor, and headed back home.

Kara sat up in his chair, wiping his eyes, trying to stop himself from crying any further. He looked to your face and noticed that you had shed a tear. He smiled gingerly, whipping away your tear. "Don't you cry, too….." after that, a nurse came into the room.

"Oh, Mr. Karamatsu. I'm sorry, but visiting hours have been cut short for Mrs. (y/n) today. We have to do some test on her." Kara simply nodded. He wasn't going to argue. He'd just return tomorrow, anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. He quickly headed home after that. He needed a long nap…

He wasn't going to get that nap, though…. As soon as he entered the house, he was greeted by his brothers who stopped him from walking into the hallway. "Karamatsu, we need to talk." Oso lead him to the table, sitting him down with everyone else.

Kara looked confused at his brothers. "…talk? About what….?" They looked at each other, making sure they were all ready to continue, and then Oso proceeded to speak. "You know about what. That girl you've been visiting? At the hospital?"

Kara cocked an eyebrow, wondering how they knew about her. He snarled once he realized it. "You assholes fallowed me!?"

"Calm down, shittymatsu! It's not like we wanted to! Mom made us do it!" Ichi shouted back, crossing his arms.

Kara scoffed. " **Fine.** …..I guess I have no choice, then." He sighed, looking down to the table. It went quiet for a moment before Kara spoke up again, softly. "Her name is (y/n)….. Walking home the other night, I heard a woman's voice say, "Please stop" fallowed by a man's laugh coming from a dark alley… I went to investigate, and found her… she was….pinned up against the wall, half naked. A man violating her." The brothers' faces fell as they continued to listen. Even Jyushimatsu's big grin turned into a frown. Kara closed his eyes and kept telling the story. "I did the only thing I could do. I punched him, then punched him again, knocking him out from his head hitting the ground. Her clothes were ripped up, so I gave her mine, aside from my boxers. We sat while we waited for the cops to come, trying to talk about anything but what happened. She told me about her daughter, then remembering that she was home alone, got up to leave. Before I could say anything, the man woke up and lunged to her with a knife, stabbing her in the stomach and booked it down the street... She lost a lot of blood quickly and past out. I tried to hold my hands to her wounds, but it didn't seem to be working. The cops and ambulance came soon after, and took her. I can't…." his breath hitched in his throat. "I c-can't forgive myself for not stopping him. I could have stopped him…. I was just too slow…. I could have protected her more, but I didn't, and now she might be dying…." He crossed his arms over himself, trying his hardest not to cry. He didn't want to cry. He's done enough of that already.

The others just stared at him, not too sure what to say. They felt bad. Karamatsu might be the annoying, painful brother, but he was still their brother, and they wanted to help him through this somehow. "….I'm sorry, Kara…." Oso whispered, gripping tightly to Kara's shoulder in support.

"You did all you could do…. I'm sure she'd forgive you." Choro tried to reassure him that it was okay.

"…..could we….come with you tomorrow?" Todo spoke up, looking to his other brothers. "We'd love to meet her." The others nodded in response and Kara's frown turned into a slight smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great…. Thank you."

The night went on as usual. Only, this time, the others tried their best to comfort their brother. They told Matsuyo everything Kara told them, and she held her son tightly, weeping along with him. She reassured him that he is a hero, that she would have been put through so much worse if it hadn't been for him, and that she is so proud of him for saving someone's life, even though it didn't work out in the end. But he didn't listen. Every word she said, his mind told him the opposite. There was no convincing him at this point.

The next morning, the six brothers headed off to the hospital. This time, they convinced him to take the train, and they were there in no time. Once in your room, they slowly shuffled in, crowding around your bed. Kara took his usual place on the chair, todo stood next to him, Oso net to him, Jyushi at the end of the bed and Choro and Ichi on the other side. It was quiet for a little bit, then Kara took a deep breath in and spoke up. "Hey, (y/n)… I…..brought some guests, I….hope you don't mind….." he looked over to them. "These are my brothers."

The matsunos all stood tall, introducing themselves as if you could respond.

"Matsuno Osomatsu."

"Matsuno Choromatsu."

"Matsuno Ichimatu…"

"Mtsuno Jyushimatsu….!" Jyushi was a bit louder than the others, which prompted them all to shush him. "Oh…sorry." He scratched the back of his head.

Todo smiled. "And I am Matsuno Todomatsu…~"

Kara sighed a little, slowly reaching down to take your hand as everyone else leaned on the bed frame. He was about to speak, when they noticed your lip curl a little into a smile.

Oso grinned, looking to Kara, then back to you. "….she's smiling…" Kara began to sniffle a little, and the other diverted their attention to him.

"…..she really can hear us…." He said in an almost inaudible whisper. He was quiet for a second as he whipped his eyes. "…..I should have told her to wait…." The others frowned, but let him finish." …..I should have checked him for weapons…. …I should have killed him when I had the chance…." He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke up one last time. "…..I can never forgive myself….."

Before the others could react to what Kara said, your eyes shot open and you gasped loudly. Your vision was foggy at first, but soon, you were able to see six identical boys looking over you in utter shock.


	4. Chapter 4 the Wrath of a Brother

Chapter 4: the wrath of a brother

The room went white as you opened your eyes for the first time in days. The light kind of hurt and keeping your eye lids open was a struggle. You never realized how much effort it took to keep your eyes open until now. You tried your best to look around the room once your vision came back. You were expecting to see six different looking brothers, but they were all the same. You couldn't even tell which one was Kara. Although, the answer came to you soon when your hand was grabbed quickly. "(y/n)!" he looked panicked to the closest brother to the door, which was Choromatsu. "Get the doctor!" he ordered, and Choro didn't hesitate. He leapt out of the room quickly.

Kara's smile grew wide and tears fell from his eyes. They were happy tears, this time. "….I can't believe you're awake…. I'm so sorry, (y/n)…." He closed his eyes tightly. "I-I didn't mean to-"you cut him off by placing a shaky hand on his cheek.

"….you didn't…..do anything….wrong…." you forced yourself to speak, even though your voice was horse and hushed. He looked at you in shock for a moment, but then sighed in relief and smiled.

The brothers were staring at the two of you, Oso grinning at his brother. They didn't speak, though. The doctors came in, shooing everyone out of the way, including Kara. They checked your vitals, checked your eyes, your mouth, checked just about everything. "Well, you seem okay, from what we can see. We'll schedule you for an x-ray and further examinations, but for the most part, you seem to be a lot better, now that you're awake! I'd say, if everything goes to plan, you'll be out as soon as this weekend." 

You smiled brightly. You were so happy to hear everything was okay. You manage to scape death. Or at least a lifetime of bed laying. You thanked the doctor with all the strength you had, then they were on their way out the door. Todomatsu approached you with a shy smile. "(y/n). It's very nice to meet you…. I….don't know if you heard us while you were asleep but…. We're Karamatsu's brothers."

You nodded slowly, looking to and from the five of them. "Yes….I…..heard him say he brought his brothers…..but, to be honest…." He started to chuckle "Jyushimatsu's the only one I heard~" everyone looked to Jyushi, who had a big grin. He flailed his arms in the air. "Yaaaay! She heard me, she heard me~!" you started to giggle again and the rest joined. Osomatsu scratched the back of his head with a blush.

"W-well…. I guess we ow you an apology, Jyushi~"

The second youngest hugged his oldest brother tightly. "I forgive you!"

You smiled at the two. "So, um…..since I didn't catch the rest of your names….would you mind repeating yourselves?" 

"Not at all!" Choro spoke up. He introduced himself and his brothers. "I'm Choromatsu, this is Ichimatsu, that's Todomatsu, and that's Osomatsu." You nodded, trying to memorize the names. They were very similar and very long. Honestly, it was hard to tell who was who, by looking at them. You were impressed by their six same faces. As you were scanning the brothers for similarities, Kara approached you and sat back down at the chair. There was a hot, red blush painted on his face. "…..so, um… you….you could hear us?"

You nodded, not taking your eyes from your concentration on the brothers. "Mhm. Only a little, though. The voices were muffled and sounded like I was under water…."

"Underwater? Wow, that's weird… was it dark?" you nodded again.

"Yes, very dark. I could feel things, too, but everything was….numb. Like….when you grabbed my hand. Or when you laid your head on my chest." Kara's blush deepened as the brothers looked at him suspiciously.

"You laid her head on her chest?" Ichi asked with a scowl. "That's low, dude…."

"Hey, man, I was crying, okay!? I-I wasn't thinking straight…."

"I got it!" you broke the awkward conversation will a yell, which made the six of them look at you in question. "You all have different hair! ….well, sort of. The ahogs on the top of your heads are different." The six of them looked to their hair, and todo shyly played with his ahog. Choro questionably patted his head where an ahog would be if he had one. "Hmmmm…. But four of you have two ahogs, so it's gonna be a bit harder to tell you four apart….." you thought for a moment, looking between Kara, Oso, Ichi and Todo. "Karamatsu's eyebrows are more prominent then the others…." Kara frowned and touched his eyebrows. "And Ichimatsu's hair is messy…." Ichi shrugged. He didn't really care. "So that just leaves Osomatsu and todomatsu…." You looked between the last two, desperately trying to find a difference. After a while, Jyushi gasped and started jumping with an arm in the air.

"Oh! Oh! Pick me!" You blinked and nodded at him, then he spoke up. "We usually wear our colored sweaters! Oso wears red and Todo wears pink!" you smiled. Of course. Mystery solved.

"Perfect! Ha!" after that, the seven of you talked for what seemed like eternity. It was fun getting to know the brothers of the man who saved your life. They were all so nice and had different personalities, too. If you couldn't tell them apart by their hair or their sweaters, you surely could by personality alone. Your face fell when the doctors told them visiting hours were over. You said your goodbyes, and the five were out, leaving Kara alone with you. You looked to him, confused. "I, um…..asked the doctor if I could stay for the night…. That is, um…if you're okay with that?"

Your face brightened up into a large smile. "Of course it is." He nodded with a shy blush, sitting next to you on the chair. He didn't understand why he was so shy and embarrassed around you. He wasn't this way with other girls. He was usually so smooth and flirty, but you were different. Maybe that flower lady was right. Maybe he **did** have a crush on you….

The night went on with small talk here and there, and watching TV. After a while Kara made his way on the bed to lay with you. Smooth. Conversation lead to your husband, and you frowned. "He's the worst….." he said hushly, bringing the covers up over your shoulders. "He was abusive….manipulative….. A monster…. He…" you paused for a second, tears filling your eyes. Karamatsu looked at you sympathetically and rubbed your arm, trying to comfort you, and you sighed. "…..he raped me…..countless times….." Kara's face fell in shock, which quickly turned to anger. "That fucking basterd…." He grunted out under his breath. "I knew he was bad news….. The moment I saw him. If I had known-"

"You met him?" you interrupted Kara's tangent with a questioning look and he nodded.

"In the waiting room the first night. He brought (y/d/n) to see you." your face fell.

"Shit….he has her? Fuck! He's the **last** person they should have gave her to!" you were furious now, but Kara gripped your arm and gave you a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I met her before she went home….and I gave her my number. Told her if anything happened, to call me and I'll come and get her."

You smiled at him and all your worry seemed to run away. "…..did you, really?" when he nodded, you practically flung yourself toward him, giving him a big hug. "Thank you so much! Oh, you're such a wonderful man…. I'm so lucky to have met you….regardless of **how** we met….." you smiled sweetly as Kara hugged you back. After the exchange of hugs, you two parted ways, and continued to talk and watch TV for the rest of the night. Eventually, you fell asleep, laying your head on his chest. It felt natural to you both. His arm was around your waist and he drifted off as well.

You were both awakened with a start as doctors came in. it was time for your examinations. Karamatsu reluctantly went home after you convinced him he needed to spend time with his family for at least one day. But home was empty. His father and mother were out, and his brothers, too. He decided to take this opportunity to relax. The day was short and boring, and soon, the brothers pilled in through the door. "Hey! Thought you'd be spending time with your girlfriend~" Todo teased as he plopped net to Kara on the couch.

Kara blushed with a grin. "She's not my girlfriend, asshole. We barely know each other."

"Oh yeah?" said Ichi with a snarky grin. "Then why are you hanging around her all the time?"

The blush deepened and he began to get defensive out of instinct. "b-because she's my friend! We hang out with Totoko a lot, and she's not dating any of us!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we don't **want** to date her~" Oso retorted, and the others laughed.

Kara scoffed at them, then his phone started to ring. "Shut uuuup, I gotta take this!" the others talked amongst themselves as Kara got up to answer the phone. "Hello?"

On the other end, a small girl's hushed, scared voice was heard, which made Kara's face fall. "H-hello….? M-Mr. Karamatsu….?"

Kara took his phone from his ear, placing a hand over the receiver. "Sh! Guys!" the others hushed up once they saw Kara's scared epression. "(y/d/n)? What's wrong, sweetie? Are you hurt? What did he do?" he was talking fast and in a panic. The others gathered around, waiting patiently.

"…..daddy's drunk….. a-and he keeps hitting me….." the small voice started to shake and she started to cry. "I-I'm in my closet…. I'm s-so scared….."  
Kara's face fell into pure rage, but he kept his cool for her. "Stay there, (y/d/n). Don't move from that closet, okay? My brothers and I are coming to get you right now." He looked to the others, and they all nodded. They understood what was going on the previous night, on their way to the hospital, Kara told them all about the prick of a e husband and they agreed to accompany Kara to pick (y/d/n) up if need be. "My brother, Jyushimatsu's gonna talk to you the whole time, okay?" with an okay with her, he handed the phone to Jyushi who then started talking to her. "What's your favorite color?" "Do you like baseball?" "Wanna hear a funny joke?" that sort of thing. Anything to keep her occupied.

Kara stood up and the others joined him. "Alright. His house is three blocks down this street and two blocks over. If we go now, we can make it there in five minutes."

"Guys?" Jyushi looked back to the others. "He's banging on the closet door." from the receiver, they could hear banging and (y/d/n) crying.

"Shit! Keep talking to her!"

"O-okay! (y/d/n)! I-it's okay, don't cry, just breath!" they started to run out the door in the direction of the house. "Do you like sushi?!" one block was cleared; a large bang against the door; yes I do. "What's your favorite animal!?" two blocks was cleared; open the god damned door; I like kittens. "Do you have any pets!?" three blocks was cleared; the door handle rattled; we used to have a dog named (y/p/n). "Are you still there!?" four blocks was cleared; the door swung open; screaming. "Answer me!" five blocks was cleared; the phone fell to the ground; silence.

"She's not on the line anymore!"

"Fuck!" Kara cursed as they made it to the front door. He kicked it. "Open up! Open the fucking door!" rustling was heard past the door, and the brothers stood in wait, standing at the ready. The door swung open, and there stood a grinning, completely drunk prick, grinning at the six of them. "Well look what we got here. It's Mr. Hero and his clones! I heard the bitch woke up, and you two have gotten pretty close~ congratulations, you get to tap a pussy that's been tapped by many~"

"Fuck you! Don't you **ever** talk about her like that again!" the other five snarled at him, and he put his hands up. "Whew, hey there, call down your watch dogs! I don't wanna fight~ let's be friends~ I mean, after all, we have something in common, huh~? We both slept with (y/n)-"

"Cut the crap, shithead!" Ichi snapped at him, and the man raised an eyebrow.

"Where's (y/d/n)!?" Oso stepped forward and the man stepped back.

"The fuck you want with my daughter?" he glared at them.

"I told her to call me if anything happened. She told me you were beating her. If you fucking hurt her, I swear to god, I will end you."

"What the hell do you care? She's just a random child! You met her once!" he started laughing.

"And I already love her more than you do. How's that feel?" Kara snarled at him, and he glared. Before he could say anything else, a little voice called out to him from behind the man. "…k…..Kara…..Matsu….?" she was crying, and when she came from behind her father, they saw the damage dealt. Her eye was bruised and her lip was swollen. She was in pain.

"You fucking monster!" Oso yelled toward the man. "You did that to her!?"

"(y/d/n)! Are you okay!?" Jyushi ran to her, hugging her and the man glared.

"Get the fuck off my daughter!" he lunged at Jyushi, punching him in the face at full force and knocking him out. This set Ichimatsu in a blind rage.

"You basterd!" Ichi pounced on the man like a cat, wailing on him with punch after punch. The others tried to pull him off, but it was no use. "You beat up a little girl! You beat up my little brother! I'll fucking **kill you!** "

(y/d/n) curled up into a ball and cried, and Kara held her close. Todo looked to Kara from Jyushi's side. "Go, Kara, take her home! We can handle this!" he nodded and silently thanked them before running out the door with (y/d/n) close in his arms. He didn't stop running as he heard sirens ring out down the street.


	5. Chapter 5: Jailbird

Chapter 5: Jailbird

Ichi wailed punch after punch onto the already unconscious man below him. his face was wet and his sight was blurred with tears. Oso pulled back on Ichi's shoulders, but the younger brother wouldn't budge. Choro tried to help as much as he could, but it was no use. "ichi, stop it! He's not worth it!"

"n-no! he hurt Jyushi!" It wasn't a secret that Ichimatsu suffered from a deep depression. But, his brothers made him a little happier, even if he would never admit it. Jyushimatsu, especially, held a dear place in his heart. If anything were to happen to him, he would- "….ichi….?" just then, a soft, raspy voice came from Jyushi, who opened his eyes slowly to see his brother in his rage induced state. This made Ichimatsu stop in his tracks. He looked over to jyushi, and tears began to fall even harder. As quick as he could, he flung his arms around his little brother, crying softly onto his shoulder. "…. I-I thought you were…. oh god, Jyushi….."

The others sighed in relief as the two hugged it out. It was true that they all feared the worst. Jyushi suffered a large blow to the head, and it blead profusely down his face. They didn't really have time to react, though. Ichimatsu did all the reacting for them.

Todomatsu whipped sweat off his forehead. "thank god you're okay…."

"we need to get out of here….. I heard sirens, and if they catch Ichima- "before Osomatsu could finish, the door was kicked open and two officers came in. "on your feet, hands in the air!" quickly, the brothers complied, but Jyushimatsu couldn't stand, which made the officer angrier then he previously was. "I said stand up!"

Ichimatsu snarled at him and was about to shout when Todomatsu stepped in to stop him. "he-he can't, officer! He just woke up from being knocked out!"

The officer groaned. "fine, I'll let it slide this once."

The other officer stepped in, looking around the room. He seemed more calm and more experienced than the other man. "we got a call from a neighbor that they heard shouting and fighting coming from this apartment." He pointed towards the man on the ground, his face caked in blood, bruises and bumps. "I'm guessing this man's the victim?"

"bullshit…." Ichi said under his breath, clenching his fists. Choro put a hand on his shoulder as a gestor to get him to stop, but he shrugged the hand off and continued. "that bastard deserved what he got. Not only did he almost kill my little brother, but he abused his daughter!"

The officer just nodded with a 'hmph' as he walked toward Ichi, examining his bloodied knuckles. "and where is his daughter?"

"my brother took her. We had permission from her mother, the one who actually has custody of her, to pick her up if she needed rescuing. My brother got a call from the little girl, she said her dad was drunk and beating her, and we came to get her."

"and a scuffle broke out?" ichimatsu just nodded. "I see…. So, instead of calling the cops on this man, you took out your anger on him and beat him to hell?" the officer chuckled. "I'd hate to do this, buuuuttt…." He looked at his partner. "handcuff him." the other officer nodded and with a swift shove, pushed Ichimatsu against the wall and cuffed him.

Ichi groaned with the shove. "….shit…." he cursed softly under his breath, looking to his brothers for help, but the others stayed silent. They knew this was coming, and they knew they couldn't help. They just looked down and away.

"no! ichimatsu!" Jyushi called out though, reaching for his brother from where he sat. "please! Don't arrest my brother!"

The calmer officer sighed, running a hand through his hair. "sorry, kid, but your brother assaulted a man in his home. There is no evidence that shows he didn't knock you out in self-defense, so we must go with what he can see clearly. We will investigate further into this, and if what your brother said is true, he will be let out." The other officer took Ichi out the door. ichi looked back at Jyushi, who had tears in his eyes, with a warm smile. "don't worry, I'll be okay…." The officer pushed ichi out the door and shoved him into his police car.

The more experienced officer looked to the others and sighed. "you four should go home before you get into more trouble."

The four of them nodded and stayed quiet. Choro and Todo helped Jyushi stand up, and they made their way out the door and down the street.

In a flask, the police car was gone. down the street, the sirens wailed and lights flashed. In the back, Ichi looked to the floor. His face was stone cold, but inside, he was scared. He had never been to jail, and never thought he would be headed there at any point in his life time. He had ten minutes to think, but he chose to keep his mind away from thinking too much.

The process of becoming a prisoner was shorter then he thought it would be. Fingerprints, _great, now I'm permanently in police records._ Cavity search, _I never thought I'd be losing my ass virginity in prison._ An orange jump suit, _not my color._ And a Photos, _they're going to put this online, aren't they?_

After all of this , he was ushered to his room. There was already a cell mate, great! The beefy man with more tattoos then hair on his head watched the scrawny, short boy slowly walk into his cell, sitting on the empty bed in the room. The door was shut, and silence fell into the room. It was awkward, and growing more scary each second that went by. Until the man spoke up with a deep voice. "that bed is taken."

Ichi looked around the room. There was only two beds. How could it be taken. "um….do we have another room mate?"

"no"

"…..then…..is this one yours?"

"yes."

"….so that one is mine?" Ichi pointed to the bed the other man was sitting on.

"no." the man shook his head. "they are **both** mine. Got it?"

The way the man was looking at him made his skin crawl. If he learned anything from television, he knows that you do **not** talk back. You just nod and smile, and everything will be fine, right? He hoped…. The man watched him as he submitted, getting off the bed quickly and sitting himself in the corner of the room. The stone was hard and cold, but he thought it was better than being beat up. Or….worse. he shuttered at the thought.

The night was shit. The tatami mat was scratchy, and Ichi barely slept. Not only was he uncomfortable and cold, but his roommate snored like a bear. He probably only got three hours total of sleep, stretched out through small bursts of 'cat naps' through the night.

It was around 7 am when the officer hit his baton on the cell door, forcing Ichi out of his last cat nap of the night. "rise and shine! Breakfast time." After being forced from their cells and threatened the entire way to the cafeteria, they were ushered in line for some gross slop they call food. The fried fish tasted like salty rubber, the rice was hard and the soup was just basically water. He wasn't going to complain, though. It was better than starving.

While he ate, he felt eyes on him. He didn't dare stare back, but he couldn't help but peak. It was his roommate and his 'friends', he guessed. Or his gang. Either way, they were staring at him with menace. The new kid in school, the scrawny, small young boy. That's what he was. He was a walking target for these types of people. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get out of here without getting the shit beat out of him.

This was a true statement. despite the day going fairly well, in the middle of his 'chores' (it was more of an inhumane labor, forcing him to clean the disgusting toilets.), he was payed a visit by his roommate and one of the 'friends' from breakfast. He was busy unclogging an unbelievably disgusting drain when the stall shook as the large men leaned on the walls. Ichi's body tensed, but he continued to unclog, as if he didn't know two mountains were towering over him. Despite his teeth chattering under his surgical mask, he remained cool headed and calm.

The two men looked at each other with big smirks, then back to Ichi. The roommate spoke up. "enjoying those toilets, little man?"

"not….really…." Ichi spoke up, but continued with his chores, hoping they would go away without any trouble.

But that wasn't going to happen. The roommate inched himself into the stall, along with the other man. This made the stall really crowded and made it hard for Ichi to keep a safe distance between him and the toilet. "aww, don't like your job~?"

"little man doesn't like his jooob~" the other man said, in just as much of a taunting voice as Ichi's roommate. They looked at each other once again, laughing as if they could talk to each other just by looking.

"we're here ta help ya, kid. We like helping people get more 'into' their jobs~." The two men placed a hand on Ichi's shoulders, grinning over him sinisterly. Ichi knew what was going to happen, and he braced for disgusting impact. "step one: introduction~" they started to push Ichi's face close to the toilet bowl. Ichi closed his eyes and mouth shut tightly, thinking about anything else but wat his entire head was about to be submerged into.

About an inch from the bowl, a loud voice was heard from behind the two men, forcing them to stop in their tracks. "Matsuno Ichimatsu! Stop playing with your boyfriends and come with me!"

Saved by the guard. The two men let Ichi go, reluctantly, and glared as he exited the stall. Ichi was shaking violently as he followed the guard. He had no idea what he was needed for, but he was thanking any and all gods that he didn't have to go through what he would have if the guard hadn't come. "what's…..going on….?" Ichi spoke up once he was able to focus on now and not what was happening.

The guard looked back to Ichi. "you're being let out."

Ichi let out a sigh of relief as they exited through a big door and he saw his older brother, Osomatsu and their parents. Mom seemed worried, while dad seemed angry. He didn't blame his father for being mad. He had done a stupid thing, and permanently screwed up his track records, too. The men at the front practically forced his regular cloths into his arms, stopping him in his tracks just before exiting to victory. "not yet! You have to change back into the cloths you came here in. take em and change in that room." The man pointed to a small closet looking room and complied quickly.

Ah, his regular cloths. The soft fabric of his sweat shirt felt like heaven compared to the itchy prison uniform. After he was changed, he was finally lead out to the main entrance, where his parents and brother waited. His mom sprung forward, taking Ichi into her arms tightly. "my boy! Oh god, we were so worried!"

"…. sorry, mom…." Ichi said as he hugged her back, closing his eyes. He knew he was in for a lecture later, but he didn't care. He was just happy to be out.


End file.
